At ESP we believe in starting the day off right….. and by right we mean loud cheers, songs and Hip Hip Hoorays! Every morning of camp, we begin with Flag. Flag is a fun time for us to get loud and get excited for the big day ahead. On Tuesday, Kidron, lead us through a jungle: couldn’t go around it or under it; had to go through it! Gotta love camp songs.
On Monday, we put on our bowling shoes and headed to Showtime Bowl! Camper’s had fun putting their own spin on bowling, each attempting strikes and spares. With bumpers included, we gave bowling our best shot (literally) and had a fun time!
Tuesday through Thursday we lathered on SPF, grabbed our floats, put on our swim trunks and went swimming at Legion Pool on The University of Georgia’s campus. The pool is a great time for us to beat the summer heat and have a great time swimming together. One of our campers, Amelia, didn’t start off having the best week. After spending some time at the pool on Thursday, she got to enjoy swimming with other campers and her week turned around completely!
Wednesday included some healthy eating! ESP worked to give campers instructions for making corn salsa. We practiced our kitchen skills with campers by chopping onion, squeezing limes, and measuring out corn and tomatoes. Following cooking instructions can be a challenge but campers enjoyed their final product! Salsa is the perfect incentive to cook.
Our vocational unit went blueberry picking at UGarden. We got to pick our own blueberries and enjoy them afterwards as our reward! Nothing says summer like time in the garden.
At camp, the perfect way to end to a fun-filled day is with snacks. This week, our Summer Snack Squad included Docebo, Classic City Insurance Group, Peach State Pride, Empire South and the Classic Center. From bananas, raisins, crackers and fruit, we enjoyed being treated by our local friends in the community! Before we knew it Friday hit. Definitely a whirlwind week! Fun Friday started off with a bang as our friends from the community joined us to celebrate a great week and enjoy the magic of camp during Fair & Flag. And was there love in the air that morning!?! Nah, just a brag skit between Pocahontas & John Smith to go along with our Colors of the Wind week theme. Seriously come for the coffee and shopping, stay for the brag skit.
We celebrated the Nicholas Pope Foundation for their generous donation of $9,000 from the Nicholas Pope Memorial Golf Tournament. It’s great to have old friends back at camp, and we’re so grateful for their support of our mission.
Then we headed out to Camp Hooray. Nothing puts you in the camp mood like a lake and cabins. There were water gun shooting, paint wars, and shaving cream Twister.
Campers worked on their inner cowboys as they roped horses and corralled pigs together. There wasn’t a white t-shirt left by the end of the day; I’d say Pocahontas’s Color Wars were a success. We may have expired of all the fun, but luckily, Publix was there to keep us going with burgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, and cake.
It has been a FUN first week of camp and I can hardly believe how quickly it went by. Keep an eye out for our second blog about ESP Ever After! I can’t wait for you to see the activities we have planned for next week! Hint, it may seem Farm, Farm Away, but it’ll be here before you know it!
